In Lyon, SUV owners will have something for their wallets. From 2024, parking rates will be set according to ecological and social criteria. With this measure, the city wants to "guarantee a fair sharing of public space, be part of the global health policy and respond to the climate emergency," she said in a statement.
The ecologist municipality plans to abandon the current single tariff, a monthly subscription of 20 euros for residents, in favor of three formulas. And to adapt the same principle for "visitors".
Scalable fee schedule
The first formula, at 15 euros per month, will concern the "most modest" households, as well as electric vehicles weighing less than 2,200 kg and combustion vehicles weighing less than 1,000 kg (i.e. the small city car segment). The "standard" tariff, at 30 euros per month, will apply to combustion vehicles from 1,000 to 1,725 kg, as well as plug-in hybrids up to 1,900 kg.
Finally, an "increased" rate, at 45 euros per month, will apply to "the most bulky" vehicles, i.e. thermal vehicles weighing more than 1,725 kg, a threshold that refers to the vehicles concerned by the malus weight of the State (tax on the mass in running order), says the city. Also affected are plug-in hybrids weighing more than 1,900 kg and "Crit'Air vert" vehicles weighing more than 2,200 kg.
"Issues of congestion of public space and climate emergency"
"Faced with the challenges of congestion in public spaces and climate emergency, the observation is that of a heavier and enlarged motor vehicles. This is an observation underlined by the Citizens' Convention for the Climate and now integrated into the law, "says Valentin Lungenstrass, Deputy Delegate for Mobility, Urban Logistics and Public Spaces, quoted in the press release.
In an interview with Le Progrès, the elected official specifies that the city of Lyon is the first to integrate both social and ecological criteria in its pricing. However, other cities are also in the process of implementing progressive social tariffs. In Nantes, a new solidarity pricing is now applied. Some residents benefit from preferential rates, depending on their family quotient. Discounts of 30% to 90% depending on the situation of the household are available, i.e. subscriptions that can go down from 126 to 18 euros per car per year, depending on 20 minutes.
In Strasbourg, a contested measure
In Strasbourg, next October, the price of resident parking will also become progressive according to household income. Concretely, if the reference tax income per share is less than 14,089 euros, the price of parking will not change (15 euros / month). On the other hand, if it is between EUR 14 089 and EUR 22 983, it will double. And, if it is higher than 22,983 euros, it will climb to 40 euros / month.
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But the reform does not pass: the elected opposition Pierre Jakubowicz has filed for several reasons an appeal against the deliberation of the municipal council. Among other things, the fact that the data retained is tax revenue, while the law provides for three criteria to modify rates: the duration of parking, the size of the vehicle or its environmental impact.
The fact also that the City asks households for their tax information to people to determine their reference tax income, while "tax secrecy is a constitutional principle", according to Pierre Jakubowicz, reports Actu Strasbourg. Third point: the progressivity of the tariff (for people with higher incomes) and not its degressivity (for people with modest incomes) are "not in the spirit of the law", according to the municipal councilor.
Other municipalities only take into account ecological criteria, such as the city of Reims which offers a "green disc", i.e. two hours of free parking, for ecological vehicles (LPG, electric, hybrid, etc.).